If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
We all give ourselves labels: liberal, conservative, gun owner, gun reformer, but none of those are instinctive. They are not in our DNA. Perhaps maternal instincts are the key to solving the horrific problem of gun violence.
As "Sandy Hook Moms," we often hear the phrase "I can't imagine what you are going through." Well, please imagine it. Imagine what it's like to lose a son or daughter to gun violence and encourage your elected officials to do the same.
I'm a real-life gun guy. I own a gun shop and I have sold more than 15,000 guns. I'm also a member of the NRA. The NRA won because people like me, people who really know what guns can do when they are irresponsibly used, didn't have a way to make their voices heard.
You have been profiles in courage. And it saddens me that your courage could not be honored by the passage of sensible gun control legislation.
Last week's vote on sensible gun reforms was a tragedy. That is not hyperbole. As a result of the vote that was taken, people will die. I also believe it is the tragedy that will finally lead to real and lasting change.
Safe means that you are being your best self and living the life you've imagined even in the face of uncertainty. It means that you are being kind and brave -- to yourself and to others -- even if you are afraid. Even when you don't know what's going to happen next.
Americans, in time of such great tragedy, can be truly awe-inspiring in their unity and resolve. But is that enough? Is it enough to belt out the national anthem for a few days and then return to business as usual?
Leaders of the Abrahamic faith traditions can do what others cannot. Firm in the belief that human life is sacred, that right is distinct from might and that justice is a supreme value, we call on Americans not to give up on background checks and other sensible restrictions on guns.
I'm offering an amendment to the Senate's gun violence prevention measure that would ban high-capacity magazines, a common-sense proposal that a majority of Americans support. Passing this amendment is not only the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do.
It's true that no single change will stop every incident of gun violence. But that's a call to do more, not less. Gun rights and gun control are not mutually exclusive positions.
Another filibuster and another headline for Rand Paul. The junior senator from Kentucky seems to be on a roll. First there was his attention-grabbing filibuster of America's drone policy, and now he is threatening the same on gun control.
Reporting by Chantell Williams Mental health advocates want the link between violence and people who are mentally ill to disappear. After the school s...
Many feel the town won't let them get "back to normal." The ubiquitous use of the word "healing" is getting under people's skin. Folks say they wish it would all go away so they could move on. At one time, I might have jumped on this bandwagon. Recently, I've come to see it differently.
The psychological and emotional toll of gun violence on bystanders, victims, and families can be overwhelming and leaves effects that last for years. What about the costs we can count? In addition to the trauma that is so deep and pervasive that it is harder to quantify, there are actual costs to gun violence that can be measured and are enormous.
Many legal cases, with closed books due to settlement, document cases of suicides and homicides in individuals who had not been violent prior to taking medication, and often they were newly prescribed or on an increased dose.
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